Former Jacksonville city manager says Boston police professional during chaos

By LINDELL KAY - Daily News Staff

Published: Saturday, April 20, 2013 at 09:01 AM.

A retired local city manager who was in Boston when bombs went off earlier this week said authorities there reacted professionally — something he said he’s confident police in Jacksonville would as well.

Boston
native Ken Hagan retired in 2006 after 37 years with the City of
Jacksonville
, the last five as the city’s manager. He and his wife Cindy live in
Jacksonville
but were in
Boston
on Monday to watch Red Sox baseball.

“It was a good day,” Cindy Hagan said. “The Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the ninth. We came out of
Fenway
Park
to a crowd who were cheering on marathon runners. We decided to eat some seafood. It was the perfect day.”

Then two bombs exploded nearby.

Ken Hagan said they had made it into the subway and were waiting on a train when police told everyone to go topside. The Hagans were just a few blocks from where bombs killed three people and injured more than 100 others.

“It was chaotic and confusing,” Cindy Hagan said. “We couldn’t get a cell signal and all the transportation was shut down. We had nowhere to go, but they were telling us to get off the street.”

A retired local city manager who was in Boston when bombs went off earlier this week said authorities there reacted professionally — something he said he’s confident police in Jacksonville would as well.

Boston native Ken Hagan retired in 2006 after 37 years with the City of Jacksonville, the last five as the city’s manager. He and his wife Cindy live in Jacksonville but were in Boston on Monday to watch Red Sox baseball.

“It was a good day,” Cindy Hagan said. “The Red Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the ninth. We came out of FenwayPark to a crowd who were cheering on marathon runners. We decided to eat some seafood. It was the perfect day.”

Then two bombs exploded nearby.

Ken Hagan said they had made it into the subway and were waiting on a train when police told everyone to go topside. The Hagans were just a few blocks from where bombs killed three people and injured more than 100 others.

“It was chaotic and confusing,” Cindy Hagan said. “We couldn’t get a cell signal and all the transportation was shut down. We had nowhere to go, but they were telling us to get off the street.”

With Boston shutting down, the Hagans finally made it to an operating subway station and headed west out of town to a suburb where their car was parked.

“All you could hear was sirens for hours,” Cindy Hagan said.

A marathon runner sitting near the Hagans on their train ride out of town was worried because his girlfriend had been waiting for him at the finish line. She turned out OK, but the moments between the bombs going off and reaching the safety of the suburbs was harrowing, Cindy Hagan said.

“It was sad and filled with so much confusion,” she said.

But Ken Hagan’s years of experience in running local government allowed him to see a pattern amid the chaos.

“The police did an excellent job coordinating the scene,” he said in a phone interview Friday afternoon while driving back to Jacksonville.

The police were professional but emphatic with what they wanted crowds to do, Ken Hagan said.

“This could happen anywhere,” he said. “We should never say or think it can’t happen in Jacksonville.”

Ken Hagan said Jacksonville police are prepared for such a calamity.

“I know for a fact our police have had training on riot control and mass casualty drills,” he said. “I’m confident they could handle any situation that comes up.”

Ken Hagan said his greatest achievement as city manager was hiring current Police Chief Mike Yaniero.

“I have a great deal of admiration and confidence in Mike Yaniero,” Ken Hagan said. “He is a champion of full force training.”

Ken Hagan said he wasn’t as close to the local government reins as he once was, but knew Jacksonville’s leaders, first responders and residents would react appropriately to any situation.

Contact Daily News Senior Reporter Lindell Kay at 910-219-8455 or lindell.kay@jdnews.com. Follow him on Twitter and friend him on Facebook @ 1lindell.